Room air conditioner condensate disposal arrangement



1955 L. w. SPEAKER ETAL 3,213,633

ROOM AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSATE DISPOSAL ARRANGEMENT Filed Dec. 16. 1960 FIG INVENTORS LAWRENCE w. SPEAKER 8 041x935 L. DAUGHERTY THEI R ATTO RNEY United States Patent 3,213,638 ROOM AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSATE DISPUSAL ARRANGEMENT Lawrence W. Speaker and Charles L. Daugherty, Louisville, Ky., assignors to General Electric Company, a

corporation of New York Filed Dec. 16, 1960, Ser. No. 76,367 1 Claim. (Cl. 62-289) The present invention relates to a room air conditioning apparatus and more particularly to an arrangement for disposing of the condensate water from the sump of such apparatus even though the sump may at times be exposed to freezing weather conditions.

Although the invention is particularly applicable to condensate disposal means utilized in reversible-flow type air conditioners which are used as a means for cooling air in the summer and as a source of heat in the winter, it will be understood that the invention is also applicable to the ordinary air conditioner that is permanently installed and used only for ventilating or exhaust purposes during the winter months. For purposes of illustration, however, the invention will be shown and described in connection with a room air conditioner which may be utilized for both heating and cooling an enclosure.

Some of these units employ a reversible-type refrigeration system containing two heat exchangers, one located within an inner compartment of the unit and exposed to indoor air while the other heat exchanger is located in the outer compartment which is exposed to the outdoor air. A pair of fans are usually provided in the unit for circulating separate streams of air from the enclosure and from the outdoors respectively through the inner and outer compartments. The refrigeration system is reversible for heating or cooling air circulated from the enclosure. A sump, normally positioned in the outer compartment of the conditioning unit, is utilized for collecting condensate water which condenses out of the air passing over the heat exchanger being operated as an evaporator. Means are supplied for collecting water from the evaporator and delivering it to the sump. In order to dispose of condensate water collecting within the sump, many conditioners employ a slinger ring which is attached to and surrounds the periphery of the fan in the outer compartment. The slinger ring extends or dips into the condensate water in the sump and, during rotation of the fan, throws water out of the sump onto the other components of the outer compartment; preferably onto the heat exchanger in the outer compartment.

In an air conditioning unit having the above-described r type of slinger ring, there is a possibility, when the unit is used during the winter months, that the slinger might become frozen solidly within ice which forms in condensate sump when the outdoor temperature drops below freezing. In such a case, the fan is prevented from rotating by the ice around the slinger and this either causes the fan motor to overheat or results in some other serious damage to the mechanical parts of the unit. In the ordinary non-reversible type air conditioners which are utilized in the winter for exhausting air from the enclosure, rain water and snow sometimes leak into the outer compartment of the unit and into the sump to become frozen solidly around the slinger on the fan. In such a case, when the conditioner is turned on to exhaust air from the enclosure or to provide ventilation for the enclosure, damage to the fan motor or other components could result.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved condensate water disposal arangement in an air conditioner which requires no contact between the moving parts of the unit and the condensate water.

. A further object of the present invention is to provide Patented Oct. 26, 1965 an improved arrangement for forming and transferring water droplets from the sump onto the condenser fan for atomization thereby.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide, in an air conditioning unit, an arrangement for violently agitating condensate water in the sump to form water droplets that are carried into the outdoor fan and air stream being circulated through the outdoor compartment of the unit.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioning apparatus which is housed within a casing divided by a barrier into inner and outer compartments. The apparatus employes a refrigeration system including a pair of heat exchangers, one located within an inner compartment and the other located within the outer compartment. An outdoor fan is provided in the outer compartment for circulating outdoor air through the outer compartment and the heat exchanger located therein. Surrounding the fan is an orifice formed in a partition for directing outdoor air into the outer fan. A condensate sump is arranged in the outer compartment on the upstream side of the partition and means are provided for delivering condensate water to the sump from the heat exchangers of the unit. Means are provided in the outer compartment for diverting a portion of the air stream being circulated by the outdoor fan toward a hole formed adjacent the bottom of the sump through which the diverted air stream is ejected into the sump to violently agitate the water in the sump thereby to form water droplets that are lifted from the sump by this diverted air stream and carried into the outdoor fan by the air stream being drawn into the fan from the outside.

As a further aspect of the present invention a water diverter plate is arranged in the path of the air stream being injected through the hole adjacent the bottom of the sump against which water and air impinges as it flows through the hole. The resulting agitation and air turbulence between the plate and the partition containing the fan orifice greatly enhances the formation of water droplets and diverts them into the air stream entering the outdoor fan.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partially in cross section of an air conditioner having the condensate disposal arrangement of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partial elevation view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the arrangement of the condensate water collection sump in the area upstream from the fan orifice; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the partial scroll and air diverting means forming a passage in the lower portion of the unit through which air is ejected into the condensate sump upstream from the orifice of the fan.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an air conditioner of the reversible refrigerant flow type which is arranged to be positioned within an opening in an enclosure. The unit comprises a casing 2 divided by a barrier 3 into an inner compartment 4 and an outer compartment 6 within which there are mounted respectively an indoor heat exchanger 7 and an outdoor heat exchanger 8. The heat exchangers 7 and 8 are connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a compressor 9 also positioned in the outer compartment 6. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the refrigeration system is provided with a reversing valve 11 which may be selectively operated to reverse the flow of refrigerant to the heat exchanger units 7 and 8. When the conditioner is in operation, air is drawn from within the room and circulated by an air moving means or fan 12 through the inner compartment 4 of the conditioner and passed over the heat exchanger 7. The fan 12 is driven by a motor mounted in the barrier 3. During operation of the unit on the cooling cycle, the heat exchanger 7 is operated as an evaporator and moisture from the air being circulated over the heat exchanger 7 is condensed onto the coil surfaces of the heat exchanger. Means are provided for collecting this condensate water and delivering it to the condensate sump 16 formed in the base of the unit in the outer compartment of the air conditioner. More specifically these means include a suitable drip tray 13 from which condensate water is delivered to the sump 16 through means of an insulated conduit 14.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the condensate sump 16 is formed in the bottom of the case 2 in an area generally surrounded by a partition or means 19, which directs the outdoor air towards the outdoor fan 17 extending into an orifice opening 20 formed in the partition 19. Fan 17 is driven by the motor 10 through the shaft 18. When the unit is operated, the outdoor fan 17 draws outside air inwardly through the inlet opening 21 and through the orifice opening 20. The outside airflows inwardly against the barrier 3 and is diverted radially along the barrier into the remaining portions of the outer compartment 6. In the embodiment of the invention shown, the outside air then flows through the right hand portion (as seen in FIG. 1) of the outer compartment 6 where it is passed through the heat exchanger 8 and is discharged to the outdoors through the outlet opening 22. When the air conditioning unit is operated on the cooling cycle, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is operated as a condenser and is cooled by the outdoor air being circulated thereover. When the unit is operating on the heating cycle, the reversing valve 11 reverses the flow of refrigeration to the heat exchangers 7 and 8 thereupon utilizing the heat exchanger 7 as the condenser and heat exchanger 8 as the evaporator. During the heating cycle, the outer compartment heat exchanger 8, which is then operating as an evaporator, condenses moisture out of the outside air. Condensate water drips from the heat exchanger 8 into the outer compartment 6. Means are provided in the form of drain holes 23 (only one of which is shown) for draining condensate water from all portions of the floor 2a of the outer compartment into the condensate collection sump 16 formed in the base of the case 2 on the upstream side of the partition 19. As is apparent from the drawings, that portion of the case forming the floor 2a in the right hand side of the outer compartment 6 is at a slightly higher level than the bottom 16a of the sump and, for this reason, all condensate water collecting on the floor 2a drains into the sump 16.

In order to dispose of condensate water collecting in the condensate sump 16, the present invention incorporates an arrangement for violently agitating the water in the sump 16 by means of an air stream forced into the sump at a point adjacent the bottom 16a of the sump. As will be seen in FIG. 3, an air deflecting means is provided in the lower portion of the outer compartment 6, between the barrier 3 and the partition 19 and below the fan 17 (not shown in FIG. 3). In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the air deflecting means includes a partial scroll or curved panel 26 which forms beneath it a confining passage 27 for the flow of air. In order to divert air into the passage 27 formed beneath the partial scroll 26, there is provided at the upper end 26a of the partial scroll a cut off means or air diverting baflie 28 having a portion 28a which preferably extends slightly inward toward the periphery of the fan 17 as compared to the radial displacement of the end 26a of the partial scroll with respect to the periphery of the fan. The

baffle 28 captures a portion of the radial air flow from the blades of the fan 17 and, by virtue of its curved under side 28b, diverts this captured air stream downwardly toward an opening or hole 29 leading through the partition 19 into the condensate sump 16. As will be noted by reference to FIG. 3, the opening 29 is in the bottom of the partition 19 and therefore communicates with the sump 16 adjacent the bottom 16a thereof. The hole or opening 29 is, therefore, below the water level in the sump whenever there is a substantial amount of water in the sump. The captured air stream flowing downwardly through the passage 27 is ejected through the hole 29 at a substantial velocity and creates a great amount of turbulence as it flows therethrough. This turbulence coupled with the necessity for the air to flow upwardly, or to percolate upwardly, through the water has the effect of breaking up the water in the area adjacent the opening 29 into numerous small water droplets. These water droplets are lifted into the air stream flowing through the orifice 20 where they are pulled into the fan 17. The fan 17 further atomizes the droplets as they impinge upon the fan blades and the droplets are carried into the other portions of the compartment 6, or out of the compartment, by the air stream circulated by fan 17. When the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is operated as a condenser, i.e. during the cooling cycle operation of the unit, the finely atomized droplets in the air stream aid in cooling the heat exchanger.

Although all axial flow fans produce some air flow in a direction radially outward from the fan blades, it is desirable that as much radial flow be provided from the fan blades as possible. Thus, the outer fan 17 of the present invention is shown as a mixed flow fan in which the rearward portions of the fan blades are disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the fan for delivering air from the fan at substantially right angles therefrom. This, of course, causes a tremendous amount of radial air flow from the fan and greatly enhances the operation of the disclosed condensate disposal arrangement by increasing the amount of air flow through the passage 27.

It will be noted that the opening 29 lies directly beneath at least a portion of the orifice opening 20 in the partition 19. Although it is not necessary to have the opening disposed beneath the lowest portion of the orifice 20, it is desirable to have the opening as close to the orifice opening as is practical so that the water droplets will be quickly drawn through the orifice along with the air flowing the-rethrough.

In order to further enhance the action of this condensate disposal arrangement, there is shown extending upwardly from the base of the condensate sump 16 an upright bracket or water deflector plate 31. The water deflector plate 31 is disposed directly in front of the hole 29 and arranged perpendicular to the path of the air stream being ejected through the hole. In the preferred arrangement, as illustrated in the drawing, deflector plate 31 is curved so that its upper edge 31a is directed or pointed toward the orifice 20 in the partition 19. As the captured air stream is injected into the sump 16 through the opening 29 it impinges against the upright deflector 31 causing the air stream to be diverted in the upward direction. The impinging of air against the deflector 31 creates a great deal of turbulence between the air deflector and the partition 19. This turbulence forms numerous water droplets which are thrown into the air stream entering the fan 17. A further action created by the upright deflector and the air impingement thereon is the forcing of water from within the sump to flow upwardly on the rear surface (i.e. the surface facing the partition 19) of deflector 31 until it reaches the upper edge 31a of the deflector where it is then scooped or carried off of the deflector into the fan by the air stream flowing over the upper edge of the deflector. The combination of the upwardly extending deflector 31 and the impinging air stream flowing through the opening 29 from the passage 27 has been found to work quite satisfactorily under conditions wherein the fan is operated at only a fraction of the full operating speed. This is, of course, as advantage in those types of air conditioning units which are provided with multispeed fan operation in which the fan speed may be greatly reduced when the maximum cooling or conditioning capacity is not needed.

By the present invention there has been provided a selfcontained air conditioning apparatus having an improved arrangement for disposing of condensate water which collects Within the unit from the moisture condensing out of the air stream being circulated over the evaporator of the unit. Moreover, this simple arrangement requires no contact between the moving parts of the unit of the Water, while in the condensate sump, and thereby eliminates any possible damage which might result to such parts as a result of condensate water freezing in the sump.

While in accordance with the patent statutes there has been shown and described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is, therefore, the intent of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A self-contained air conditioner for conditioning the air within an enclosure comprising a casing adapted for mounting in an outer wall of said enclosure, a barrier dividing said casing into an inner compartment having openings communicating with the enclosure air and an outer compartment having openings communicating with outdoor air, inner and outer heat exchangers mounted respectively in said inner and outer compartments, a fan positioned in said outer compartment for circulating outside air through said outer compartment and over said heat exchanger mounted therein, a partition spaced from said barrier and including a fan orifice for directing outside air into said fan, a condensate sump arranged in the bottom of said casing on the upstream side of said partition, means for collecting and conveying condensate water from said heat exchangers to said sump on the upstream side =of said partition, a curved panel disposed between said barrier and curved panel and beneath said fan and extending upwardly and partly around the outer periphery thereof to form a confining air passage between said panel and the bottom of said case, air diverting means disposed outwardly a shorter distance from the periphery of said fan, than said curved panel and spaced from the upper end of siad curved panel for diverting a portion of said air stream circulated by said fan into said air passage beneath said curved panel, a hole in the bottom of said partition below said curved panel for injecting air from within said passage into said condensate sump, a water deflector plate extending upwardly from the bottom of said condensate sump, said water deflector plate be ing disposed substantially perpendicular to the path of said air stream being injected through said hole in said partition whereby said air stream injected through said hole impinges against said water deflector plate and forces water to flow up said plate to be scooped in droplets oh the upper edge of said plate by said air stream flowing into said fan.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS '2, 1 84,35 4 12/ 39 Lurne 62-279 2,316,704 4/43 Moore 6'2'280 2,710,510 6/55 Roseman 6 2-280 2,719,411 10/ -Deering 62-429 2,927,442 3 Kooiker 62-280 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. MICHAEL, ROBERT A. OLEARY,

Examiners. 

